The "Arabic Book" Award Explores Ways to Enhance Cooperation with Cultural and Academic Institutions in Saudi Arabia

SadaNews - The "Arabic Book" Award explored ways to enhance its cooperation with cultural and academic institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during a four-day media tour, led by the award’s media advisor, Dr. Hanan Al-Fayyad. The tour included a series of extensive meetings with officials from various Saudi cultural and media entities.

A statement issued by the award indicated that the delegation visited the Ministry of Culture and the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, where they met several officials from the commission, including: Dr. Hayla Al-Khalaf, General Director of the Translation Sector; Mr. Khalid Al-Samti, General Director of the Literature Sector; Ms. Manal Al-Owaibil, Director of the Communication and Media Department; and Mr. Saeed Al-Qahtani, Director of Public Relations, who presented a briefing on the establishment of the commission in 2020 and its philosophical and organizational role in the fields of literature, publishing, and translation, in addition to the level of support it provides to the creative sector in the Kingdom.

The commission officials expressed their readiness to cooperate with the award by connecting the delegation with local cultural entities and expanding the award’s message reach to a wide array of Saudi authors and publishers, benefiting from the commission’s powers and extensive knowledge and electronic networks across the Kingdom.

They also extended an official invitation for the award delegation to participate in the Jeddah International Book Fair and to give an introductory lecture, in addition to attending the International Philosophy Conference scheduled for December 2025.

Extensive Cultural Tour

The tour included a visit to the Al-Yamamah Press Foundation, where the delegation met with the editor-in-chief of Al-Riyadh Newspaper, Mr. Hani Wafa, who reviewed the newspaper's history since its establishment in 1965 and discussed ways to enhance the award's presence in the Saudi media landscape.

The delegation also visited the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language, where they met with Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Ibrahim Abanmi, who praised the award’s role in supporting the scientific and literary movement. Academy officials provided a detailed presentation on their programs and projects, including the project "Investigating the State of the Arabic Language in Non-Arab Countries", the Al-Babtain Award winner index project, and the "Language Consultant" website. Both sides also discussed precise mechanisms to reach scholars and thinkers deserving of the award.

At King Saud University, the delegation held an introductory seminar attended by faculty members from the College of Arts and the Arabic Language Department, coinciding with the university's celebrations for the Abdulaziz Al-Mann Chair winning the Arabic Book Award in its second edition.

The delegation also visited the "Golden Pen Majlis", where they met a select group of Saudi and Arab intellectuals, as well as creative children in the field of writing, discussing proposals to develop the award, including adding new categories such as "Digital Book" and "Children's Book", and proposing modern criteria for judging.

The tour concluded with a visit to the King Abdulaziz Foundation, where the delegation reviewed the foundation's efforts in documenting Arab history and heritage and making resources and manuscripts available to researchers, emphasizing the importance of enhancing cultural cooperation between Qatar and the Kingdom.

The Message of the Award

For her part, Dr. Hanan Al-Fayyad confirmed that this tour comes as part of the award’s initiative to enhance its presence in the most important Arab cultural environments, with Saudi Arabia being at the forefront, given its deep heritage in the field of global awards, such as the King Faisal Award and the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language Award.

She clarified that the delegation aims to reach scientific and cultural elites, appreciating their status, especially in light of assigning one of the award's categories to dictionaries and manuscripts. She stressed that the award seeks to achieve fairness in honoring scholars and creators who may refrain from nomination due to their focus on knowledge production, emphasizing that the most significant achievement of the delegation is witnessing the joy of honorees at the moment of their crowning.

It is noteworthy that the "Arabic Book" Award, launched in the State of Qatar in March 2024, aims to honor Arab and non-Arab authors and researchers who contribute to enriching the Arab cultural scene and enhancing the status of the Arabic book. Its total value is one million US dollars across the categories of "Single Book" and "Achievement".

Source: Qatari News Agency (QNA)